Bold
by KittenKiller
Summary: Duo is Heero's best friend, but he's got a secret he's not telling... and Heero will do almost anything to find out. 1x2x1
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** I do not have the right to these characters. They don't, nor will they ever belong to me. Unless someone puts up the rights on eBay. I would outbid all of you, bitches!

**Synapsis:** (cause it is a two dollar word whereas 'summary' is a one dollar word, imho) Heero realizes Duo has an important secret that needs telling, and attempts to finagle it out of him, resulting in odd weirdness, or weird oddness.

**Pairings/Warnings:** Initial 1xR (yeah right, like that'll hold), mainly 1x2x1, possible 3x4 in subsequent chapters... obvious OOCness (I think), gaping plotholes (steer left!), some shallow angsty-ness (no 1x2 fic is completel without it!), and many failed attempts at humor (see enclosed laugh track).

**Also**, I am in the habit of spelling Heero's name as "Hiiro," so, if you don't like it then... don't read? Or complain, you could do that. Or paste it into your word processor and Find/Replace all the 'Hiiro's for 'Heero's or something. If you have a lot of free time...

Part One:

It occurred to me that there were probably better things to do with my time than to watch my best friend fight with his girlfriend.

I'm sorry, make that his fiancee. I had, after all, helped him pick out the ring. It was rather lovely, if I do say so myself, slim, elegant, with two sapphires that perfectly matched Relena's eyes, a point I made sure would be mentioned when he proposed. She had accepted willingly enough, and only slightly begrudged the fact that they weren't diamonds. Only slightly, and often, and loudly. "But a diamond is forever, Hiiro," she had needled in that sullen tone of hers.

I had been very careful to steer him away from diamonds.

I had also been very careful to keep a safe distance behind them as we walked towards the restaurant, under the pretense of being polite enough to pretend not to overhear their little scrap. To be honest, though, I was just damn sick of hearing it.

"Why won't you listen to me??" came the next shrill line. No chance in ignoring _that._ I was unfortunately catching up to them as they had stopped to wait for the light to change. Hiiro shot a murderous glare towards me, as if I was the one to blame for his predicament. I smiled genially back at him. Relena caught the little exchange and her attention was diverted to me for a moment, and don't believe me for a second if I tell you I didn't expect what came next. If your friends are couples, you know what comes next.

"What do _you_ think, Duo?" she cornered me; I had nowhere to run except the street, and I gave it some serious thought. Relena, however, just thought I was giving careful consideration to my answer. I rubbed my chin pensively...

"I think, Relena, that the signal just changed and we have 14... no, only 13 seconds to cross or it'll just be plain unsafe to try to cross the street." And with that, I bounded between them and into the road, not even bothering to double check the way was clear in my haste to get away from them and her inane, pointless questions.

It was then that I saw someone that doesn't normally brighten my day, but right then I welcomed as a savior come to Earth. Wu fei Chang was leaning against the grey bricks of the restaurant, waiting for us to arrive and looking thoroughly badass as he stared into space with that slight scowl of his. I barrelled into him quite rudely, but he was ready for me, and I only barely upset his balance. When he recovered he settled that quiet and unpleasant gaze on me instead, and then affected to smile somewhat.

"Aww, Chang!" I clapped my arms around his shoulders affectionately, and his smile promptly vanished. He does not hold well with prolonged physical contact—which is exactly why I do it every chance I get. Just to spite him, really. So I took the opportunity to lean in close and breathe my question into his ear, "So does this mean we're doubling?" I glanced behind me as my favorite couple joined us, and squeezed his shoulders firmly. "Wu fei here says he doesn't like blind dates."

"Well, seeing has I'd have to be, to date you, Maxwell..." He forcibly removed my arm from his shoulders, and made a show of smoothing his clothes and hair.

"Ooh, cheap. But that's just the way I like ya, Fei Fei," the mock kiss was too much for him, and he spun on his heels and made for the heavy swinging doors of the restaurant. Hiiro looked slightly amused and Relena had a faint scrunch to her face, as if she had just eaten something sour. I opened the door for her and gestured her inside with a flourish. She smiled at me, gave Hiiro a quick look that quite plainly said it should have been him rather than me that remembered she was a lady, and walked inside. I continued to hold the door open for Hiiro, who stuck his hands in his pockets and ambled up until he was right beside me. He cocked his head and looked at me meaningfully.

"What_do_ you think anyway, Duo?" the question was honest, and it seemed harmless enough. He watched me expectantly.

Not falling for that. _No way no how you're getting little ol' me involved_. "I think... that my arm is getting tired," I grinned. "And that if Wu fei wants me to put out he's going to have to get me more than the spaghetti basket. So put in a good word, eh? I hear they've got _great_ ribs here."

"Let me help you with that." His arm shot out so quickly that I flinched, before I realized that he had now put his weight on the door, and was holding it open. He was also dangerously close, in my opinion. And it didn't help when, a moment later, a large family began to herd through the doors, effectively pinning Hiiro against me, who leaned in in order to be polite. He was so close that I could smell him—fuck, his neck was practically pressed against my lips, which of course sent my heart all aflutter, as it is wont to do when Hiiro gets too close. I bit the inside of my cheek, and hard, and resolved to not be red-faced and glassy eyed when Hiiro pulled away and looked at me again.

The last in the procession filed through, a ponytailed preteen with a haughty look on her face, who shot us a rather curious glance as she slinked by, and Hiiro detached himself from me and the door.

I was not sure I had achieved my objective when I saw the look on his face. He crinkled his brow as if he was confused about something. I figured right then I was just doing well not to have to pick up my jaw or wipe the drool off my chin.

I started to clear my throat and say something jokingly clever, but instead I choked on pure air and Hiiro had to pound me on the back a couple of times before I had my voice back. Well, at least I had an excuse for my face to be red. His eyes still had that mysterious glint about them, as if he was trying to figure something out. He gave a half shrug.

"C'mon, Duo. They're waiting."

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

a/n: I apologize that this is so short (if you managed to gruel your way through it), the next chapter is much longer, this was just the only place I could break it up sensibly.

Thank you!


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer:** I do not have the right to these characters. They don't, nor will they ever belong to me. Unless someone puts up the rights on eBay. I would outbid all of you, bitches!

**Synapsis:** (cause it is a two dollar word whereas 'summary' is a one dollar word, imho) Heero realizes Duo has an important secret that needs telling, and attempts to finagle it out of him, resulting in odd weirdness, or weird oddness.

**Pairings/Warnings:** Initial 1xR (yeah right, like that'll hold), mainly 1x2x1, possible 3x4 in subsequent chapters... obvious OOCness (I think), gaping plotholes (steer left!), some shallow angsty-ness (no 1x2 fic is completel without it!), and many failed attempts at humor (see enclosed laugh track).

**Also**, I am in the habit of spelling Heero's name as "Hiiro," so, if you don't like it then... don't read? Or complain, you could do that. Or paste it into your word processor and Find/Replace all the 'Hiiro's for 'Heero's or something. If you have a lot of free time...

Part Two: 

"You were pretty quiet at dinner tonight." Hiiro was putting away the dirty dishes I was supposed to clean, with no complaint for once. I was too busy messaging Quatre on my mobile phone. My screen lit up and I cackled madly at the response there, feeling more than seeing that Hiiro was coming up behind me, arms crossed and face wearing that familiar pinched look. I had been seeing that expression a lot lately.

I turned before he could sneak a look over my shoulder and was completely unsurprised to see that I was corrrect, right down to the folded arms and the strange look on his face. I don't know if he knows that he does it, but since we started living together he has let his guard down considerably. Although he often still wears that cold, impassive mask that makes it look like are no lines in his face... he wears it less often with me. And, I am privately delighted to add, it is his default expression when Relena is around. That just makes me feel warm and tingly inside.

His gaze shifted from my phone to my face. "Duo. Did you hear me?"

"About being quiet? You always tell me to be quiet, Hiiro." I punched in a lewd reply to Quatre's message, and hit send, smiling as I did so, wondering where this discussion would lead. Hiiro is a frugal conversationalist; the fact that he was steering me towards what looked like a lengthy discourse was a little frightening. What it meant, really, is that he had something on his mind that just could_not_ wait to unfold itself naturally. This made me very nervous indeed.

"Yes, you are an incessant chatterbox, usually..." My heart warmed in this fair praise. "Which is why I get worried when you are silent. You're not very good at hiding your emotions either. I can tell that something is off."

My phone vibrated again, and I was glad to have something to look at beside Hiiro's face. _Not good at __hiding my emotions?_ I was fairly incensed at this. Probably no one, not even Hiiro Yui himself, was better at it than I was. I was a consummate actor who had learned how to hide around the same time I learned how to walk. I've had my share of pain in my life, plus a few others' shares actually, and I think I've held up pretty well. You may not know to look at this bouncy, cheerful, happy-go-lucky 20 year old, but I have lived several lifetimes in my short years. Not to mention I've lost everyone and everything I've ever cared about. Ever. And let's not forget that I have been subjected to most, if not all, the baser urges of humankind, and I've done my part in inflicting pain as well. Basically what we're looking at is a tainted and incomplete soul that is housed inside an impossibly innocent looking body, and I appear to be the kindest person you could ever hope to meet. Not to mention I am quite easy on the eyes. Heh.

So_don't_ tell me that I can't hide my emotions. I can, and do... except when it comes to Hiiro. When he wants to he has an uncanny abillity to detect when something is wrong. Of course, my own insecurity with Hiiro may be a contributing factor to that. I cannot help that every time he looks at me, talks to me, or comes within a three foot radius of me anymore, I simply fall apart. Gone are the witty retorts, the disparaging remarks, the childish antics. He scares the living SHIT out of me. So I can't act too surprised that he's catching on, as emotionally bare as he is.

I had settled on a suitably hilarious reply to Quatre's plea and was about to send when Hiiro's hand descended on mine, covering the phone. I blinked down in surprise, observing that Hiiro's skin was still warm and wet and slightly soapy from washing the dishes moments before.

I still had not moved when he slid the phone out of my hands and snapped it shut, then decided to deposit it in my jeans pocket. He resumed his former stance, arms loosely folded, looking at me with that curious expression again, I'm sure.

"Duo, I'm trying to talk to you."

I sighed and collapsed on the couch behind me, stretching my arms behind my head and clasping my hands there. "What do you want from me, Hiiro? I've just been feeling a little off lately. I don't worm my way into your business every time you act a little quiet. Well, more quiet than usual..."

Hiiro stood over me, looking incredulous. He spread his arms wide, palms up, in a very wild manner. "Um, yeah, actually, you do. In fact, you usually try to work yourself into every aspect of my life, Duo." He dropped his hands to his sides and slumped on the sofa next to me. "Not anymore though... That's what I don't understand. Why you're so distant now. It's only with me, so I know it must be some fault of mine. You treat me differently." I felt heat rise to my face and my ears burned when I heard him say this. God, why did he have to become so talkative now? I always figured I was safe with Hiiro, who never wanted to know too much. I fiddled with the end of my braid, trying to form a satisfactory response. Apparently, though, he wasn't finished.

"You do. You treat me different than everyone else. You know I am not good with people, Duo, you know that I am socially... inept. But I've tried very hard to be—" he paused, searching for a word. He was getting very excited; I could tell because his accent was becoming very pronounced. In the past, I had always found it very endearing, not to mention funny as hell. Now it only made me nervous.

"...better," he finished. "I've tried to be better, with people. With Relena, and Quatre, and you, Duo." He turned to me, eyes narrowed. He looked to me like he had years ago, after he had been briefed on a mission and was playing out the strategic way to obtain his goal in his head... 'Ninmu ryoukai.' I shivered. He noted this, but went on.

"But you've got to help me, Duo," he finished, his voice appealing. "If I did something wrong, then I don't know what it is. You have to tell me."

I rolled my head towards him, looking at him askance. "You've got to be kidding me, Yui." I recovered just enough to be able to tease him a bit. "Your soft little underbelly is exposed," I bared my teeth in a playful smile. "If I didn't know any better, I would say that you, well, that you just plain CARE, Hiiro-kun!" I fluttered my hands around my face, feigning delicate shock, keeping my smile firmly pasted in place all the while. My intended course of action for Hiiro was to characteristically roll his eyes in disgust, throw up his hands and walk away. I was in for a rude shock, as it was.

Once again those speedy reflexes took me by surprise, and before I knew it, he had pinned me down, hands on my shoulders. His face leered over mine.

"That's better," he toned, and for a moment I thought he was talking about our new position. "At least you're trying now, instead of just sulking and being quiet. That makes me think I just might be right." I shook my head vigorously, not trying to get away but attempting, in vain, to escape the long strands of Hiiro's bangs, which were now hanging in my face and tickling my forehead without mercy. Remember what I said about Hiiro getting too close...? It took every ounce of my self control not to freak the fuck out right then and there.

"What are you talking about? Right about what?" I asked, trying desperately to think about anything but his proximity, how I could feel his breath lightly puffing on my face, how he was very nearly straddling one of my thighs in his effort to keep me where I was. Little did he know... sigh. I was so fucked up and confused.

He slid his hands forward until his elbows were holding me down instead. This brought him a lot closer, and I must admit I didn't know what to do about this. I turned my head to the side, defiantly looking away from him, and concentrated on counting my heartbeats as an attempt to distract myself. It was working too, because my heart was very hard to keep up with at the moment. I wondered if he felt it. How could he not?

This personal diversion, however, was shattered in the next instant he opened his mouth. I altogether missed what he had said; what had made an impression on _me_ was that his breath was now swirling into my ear. The sensation was so sudden and so intimate that I almost cried out—as it happened, I made a slight moaning sound and clenched my fists spasmodically. That's my spot, you know. My ears.

Hiiro didn't seem to notice, or just assumed it was a sound of frustration. He continued to pin me down, shifting his weight for better comfort I suppose. "Hm, Duo?"

"I...What? What did you say?" My voice was a throaty gasp; I coughed to clear it and hopefully hide the lust apparent (to me, at least) in every word. "I didn't hear."

I chanced a glance up at his face. He was wearing that puzzled expression again, and looking faintly distressed. He shook his head slightly, and consequently strands of his dark hair brushed lazily across my cheek this time. He was so close, too close...

"I said I think you're hiding something from me. Something important."

"Is that why you've got me body pinned on the sofa, cowboy?" I drawled, clutching for a normal Duo-like response. The breathlessness in my voice probably gave me away though.

But Hiiro remained oblivious, and only looked at me quietly. "You could free yourself if you wanted to..."

I shrugged in reply, or tried to anyway: my shrugging motions were cut short by the weight digging into my shoulders.

"If I was Wu fei," Hiiro began, and my attention snapped back to him, wondering what in the hell he could have to say now. "If I was Wu fei, or Quatre, or Trowa, or probably anyone else in the world you or I could think of, and I had you in this... compromising position... what do you think you would do?" He stared at me steadily, uncertainly.

"Er... What?" I did not see where this was going. At least he had somewhat startled me out of my heady, indulgent thought patterns. For a couple of seconds, anyway, I wasn't thinking about how luscious his lips looked when parted just so like that, or how delicate his eyelashes seemed when his lids were half lowered the way they were right then.

"What would you do, Duo." His eyes were soft and large, and they looked almost.. hurt, right then. As if he was bracing himself for something unpleasant, but not quite unexpected. "I think, if it was Wu fei holding you down right now, you would probably laugh and joke and maybe even try to wrap your body around him. You would embrace him and you might try to kiss him, or act as though you were. You would touch him, in other words, and allow yourself to be touched. I think it's safe to say you wouldn't run from him, or recoil from him, or lie to his face. And you wouldn't hide from him."

"Your best friend, however..." He finally released the pressure on my shoulders and rose to his feet, keeping his face hidden from me. I couldn't move, I just lay there, staring after him, my mouth agape with shock, and trying to process what he had just revealed to me.

I suddenly remembered seeing Wu fei earlier that evening, before we went into the restaurant. How I had pretty much thrown myself upon him, just to ruffle that silk hair and see the blush color his cheeks. I thought about how comfortably physical I had always been with Quatre, who I treated like a brother, and to an extent even Trowa, who I always enjoyed trying to get a rise out of even though I never succeeded. Did Hiiro think of my touching as some sort of brand of friendship? I was appalled. How confused he must be...

I examined Hiiro again, to find he was still turned away from me, standing in front of the fireplace we never used and pretending to look at the pictures framed there. They were nearly all mine; after all, Hiiro had nobody... I felt another bitter stab of guilt. Of course he would misunderstand.

I just never thought he would care.

I mentally slapped myself across the face. _What is wrong with you? He's your friend, he wouldn't pretend to be otherwise! Of course he cares. And he's right, you do treat him differently. You never treated him the same as..._

Hiiro appeared to be on exactly the same wavelength because he began to voice my thoughts. "You don't treat me like your other friends, Duo. In fact," he slowly turned on the spot. "You never have. I always told myself it was no big deal, and reasoned it was out of respect for my uh... my personal boundaries. But I've changed, and I've opened up, and you haven't. I would even go so far as to say, that the more I open up, the more you withdraw into yourself. And at any rate, it's not as if you try to stay away from Wu fei because he likes his space and hates physical contact. If anything that motivates you more." I could hear the weak smile in his voice, but I was busy staring at my own feet, experiencing alternating feelings of guilt, shame, sadness, and panic. I gulped, wordless. I wondered how long he had been thinking about this speech, how long he had planned it. I had never heard him speak so much in all the years I had known him—Hell, I'd wager that tonight he had said more in a span of minutes than he had in all the years before. It was a wonder he had a voice left.

"I'm... sorry," I stuttered. I didn't know what else to say. I couldn't even look at him it seemed.

"I don't care, " came the cold reply. I jerked my head up as if someone had stuck a hot poker in my neck, my heart clenching painfully. _Did he just say...?_

He allowed me to meet his gaze, and his eyes were just as cold as his voice had been, like two hard ice chips set in that perfect face. "I don't care that you're sorry. I know you're sorry, Duo, and I knew you would say so. And I don't give a damn about that."

He approached me once more, and if I had any fucking sense, let me tell you, I would have fled far, and I would have fled fast. This was a side of Hiiro that I had never seen before, that I don't believe anyone had ever seen before, and I thought I had seen it all. I wondered deep down in the hole of terror that was my mind right then, just what he was capable of.

Not that I believed he would kill me, you see. Hiiro had long since learned that there were far more useful methods, such as emotional abuse. And he didn't know it, but he had been abusing me for years. It was completely unintentional, of course. Anyway, he's already tried to take me down, and failed. I'm just too damn loveable.

Except right now, it would seem.

"I don't care," he repeated. He stood in front of me, then decided to lower himself to the coffee table, making us more or less even. He looked me in the eyes. Our knees were touching. His hands were carefully clasped in his lap. And I was pouting so earnestly that my face was starting to ache.

"You can be sorry all you want to. All I want is for you to tell me why. That, Maxwell, is all I ask." God, I must be in trouble when the last name comes into the equation. Hiiro hasn't referred to me as "Maxwell" in ages.

My mind caught up suddenly and latched on to what he said. I abandoned my pout and furrowed my brow. "Tell you why, Hiiro? Why I'm sorry?"

The hard look on his face relaxed a little, eyes softened a bit. "If you like, but that's not precisely what I'm looking for. I want you... to tell me... exactly what makes me different. Exactly what you're hiding from me. Why everything I do seems to elicit a negative reaction from you. It's maddening, don't you get it? So why, Duo?"

I lowered my eyes to my boots again and endeavored to stare a hole right through the toe of one of them. I began popping the knuckles on my fingers continually. "I uh... don't know what to say, Hiiro. I don't know quite why myself. It's complicated." _How much bullshit could I get away with? _I wondered. _Maybe if I can get him so frustrated that he gives up, he'll leave me alone. _"I'm afraid..." Well _that_ wasn't bullshit, to be sure.

Hiiro seemed to once again pick up my train of thought. "Don't try to bullshit your way out of this, Duo." I winced. "And don't be afraid."

I scoffed. "Easy for you to say. What do you have to be afraid of?" He sighed wistfully and made as if to reach for me. It was pure reflex and instinct that I flinched backwards. _No! Don't touch me!_ Almost before the thought was completed I wondered with unease where it came from.

"Duo!" his eyes were wide and alight with pain and surprise. "Just what the fuck is this, huh? Why do you act like I'm going to fucking hurt you?" He sighed, cradling his head in his hands. He looked so young and vulnerable right then. I couldn't have felt worse if I tried.

"I told you, Hiiro, I don't know, I don't know why I do that!" Not completely true though. I had an inkling. I inhaled deeply, catching the scent of his hair in my nostrils, and expelled my breath in a shaky rush. "Look here. Try again. I promise I won't pull away."

He tilted his head, looked at me uncertainly. I nodded.

This time when he reached for me I braced myself. He sensed the tension and hesitated, then snaked his hands through mine, prying them apart and grasping them firmly. It was a glorified handshake, that's all it was. An innocent touch between two friends.

But his skin was practically burning against mine. I felt as if I stared long enough I would see a smoldering wisp of smoke rise from between my knuckles. I flexed my fingers experimentally, and was rewarded with the light scraping touch of his callouses against my skin. He was holding on tight, and that was just fine. I managed a weak smile, and he smiled back.

This was soooo weird.

"There now. Was that so hard?" He laughed suddenly, and it sounded so wonderful that all I could do was smile, _really_ smile, and then I was laughing right along with him, until we were both galing with mirth at the ridiculous situation we had found ourselves in. Our hands were still firmly entwined all the while. He had such a rich, full laugh; I loved to hear it.

When that had finally subsided, Hiiro looked down again. I watched him, my anxiety beginning to return. I wondered if I could ever get used to him touching me. _Not that I'll get the chance_, I thought sullenly.

He made no movement to pull away, as if sensing we had reached a comfortable place. I know we must have looked so silly: leaning into one another, fingers interlaced, the tears of our laughter still twinkling at the corners of our eyes, both of us smiling like fools. "This is alright, isn't it?" Hiiro's smile was full and pure, and it lit up his whole face. I noticed he had two ill-used dimples at the corners of his wide mouth, and that they were positively adorable. I smiled back, forgetting that I was even supposed to reply. That seemed answer enough for him, however.

Then I got a little bold.

I'm not sure what exactly was going through my head right then, but it was partly my impulsive nature and I believe partly the feeling of powerful elation that was still churning through my body... and probably mostly the fact that for a short period of time, my fear and plain good sense had been unseated by my desire. So when I pulled my hands away from Hiiro's, my heart was already beginning to thump wildly in my ribcage, but I felt oddly calm.

He made a resigned face when my fingers slid slowly out of his, but he did not know what to make of what I did next. Watching him carefully from underneath the fringe of my bangs, I ran my hands slowly and gently up his forearms, as if testing this newfound capability. For several long seconds he could only seem to stare at my hands, as if they were creatures of their own devices rather than attached to me. Then his eyes flickered to mine, and I registered that they were confused and vaguely unsettled.

"It is alright," I finally answered his question, raising my chin. There was a playful inflection in my voice, borne through no will of my own. _WHAT the FUCK are you DOING?!_

Now he was clearly agitated, and I mentally congratulated myself on managing to screw myself over so quickly and completely. _Well, at least he'll leave you alone now... You've probably scared him off for good_.

This was not yet the case however. He continued to allow my current ministrations. And silly me, I couldn't seem to stop. Next I turned his hand over and began to trace a delicate pattern into his palm, noting where the skin was rough and where it was soft and smooth. There was a slight intake of breath at this, but he never moved, or gave any inclination that he wanted me to stop. So I didn't.

And I continued to be bold.

When I had expanded up his arm to the inside of his elbow, he shivered visibly; I felt it quake through his body like a small avalanche. I raised my eyes to his face, but his head was bowed and his eyes were hidden by the disheveled thatch of dark hair. I observed, though, that his lips were parted and he was exhaling in quick, shallow bursts. He moistened his lips as I watched and I felt the familiar fluttering in my stomach at the sight.

Sensing the invasion of my eyes, he lifted his face to mine. His own eyes were heavy lidded; it appeared to me that either he was very sleepy, or he was about to sneeze. He blinked rapidly, as if trying to come out of a dream, but unsuccessfully. He did manage to focus on me, though, and I was momentarily captivated by the stunning cobalt of his eyes. But more than that, it was what was _in_ his eyes.

Hunger.

I had no time to properly investigate this interesting development, however, because at that very instant I blanched and lost my nerve. I averted my gaze and immediately pulled my hands to my own body (_where they belong, dammit!_), and wrapped my arms around myself. I would say that it took me less than 20 seconds to have everything under control again, and I was more or less curled into a ball, eyes glazed and unseeing.

"That was a little weird, wasn't it? That felt a little weird." The words fell rapidly from my mouth, and I was sure that I sounded dazed. I was dazed, wasn't I? I thought about it.

Yep. I was dazed.

"Yeah. Weird." His voice sounded cloudy and distant. I opened my eyes and focused on Hiiro. He hadn't appeared to move at all, but his face no longer wore that... look, whatever it had been. He just looked confused again. And afraid.

Suddenly he cleared his throat, and stood up quickly. When I looked at him this time, he seemed to be himself once again, more or less. He rubbed the back of his neck as though it were sore, and cleared his throat another time, as if trying to dislodge whatever had stuck there. He appeared very disconcerted. I found that I could relate.

"I'm... going to bed now, Duo." He still sounded far away, as if he were in another room instead of standing right next to me. "I'll talk to you tomorrow." Then he shot me an important glance, as if to remind me that this conversation was far from over. But as soon as he looked at me his eyes clouded over again and he seemed, for loss of a better word, frightened.

"Or the next day," he amended. And he all but ran from the room, leaving me alone, with a veritable banquet of food for thought. I recalled the glint in his eyes I had witnessed moments before, and I shuddered, not unpleasantly. And for once, my heart, mind, and even my libido were struck dumb.

I was thankfully distracted for the moment when my mobile began to pulse angrily in my pocket. I remembered that Hiiro had put it there after he had taken it away from me.

I opened the flip phone without even bothering to check the caller ID and put it to my ear. "Hey, Quatre." My voice was weak and strained.

"Duo? Are you ok? What happened? Why do you sound so..." he trailed off, as if even he couldn't place a name for the way I sounded, or what could have caused it.

"Everything's fine..." I paused, and smiled to myself. "Mission accomplished."

_Or is it..?_

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Where is this going...???

If you read, I am eternally grateful, even if you don't leave a review. /beams


End file.
